He may have played only three Premier League games for his new club, but Kai Havertz hasn't won over Arsenal fans. Photo: Getty Images/Alex Grimm
There was a moment, in another period in Arsenal's history, when some of the club's fans called Thierry Henry «the French Perry Groves». It is known that it took almost two months for the club's greatest player to score his first goal for England, and in those first weeks the football community showed little inclination to be patient.
Dennis Bergkamp was also heavily criticized early in his Arsenal career. He failed to score in his first seven games for the club and was labeled «The Hartle Fool» by a tabloid newspaper after struggling against Hartlepool United in the League Cup. Another headline described «Bergi» as a «waste of money».
So there are lessons to be learned from the past and Kai Havertz, who has found himself at the center of a bitter debate after just three league games, may find some solace in the history books as he continues to adjust to life in north London. . We can say that some fans of the club would be useful to look at the old days.
For Havertz, unexpectedly — and, as many will say, unfairly — difficult times have come. After only a few months of his career at Arsenal, he seems to have already become the subject of the most controversy among the club's supporters and in the media, mainstream and otherwise.
Even before Saturday's match against Fulham, Havertz was talked about in north London. Before the game, on the subway towards Holloway Road, the author overheard a group of Arsenal supporters talking passionately about the German. Two of them thought he played well against Crystal Palace and two said he should be expelled immediately.
Havertz has already become a divisive figure among Arsenal fans. Photo: Getty Images/David Price
It is difficult to find a middle ground in modern football, and this is especially true in social networks. Since his disappointing performance against Fulham, Havertz's pages have been flooded with predictably nasty comments. “Get out of Arsenal,” one of them said. “Lazy player,” said another. «Havertz is leaving,» a third shouted.
Such trouble is certainly nothing new, but it was remarkable to see how quickly Havertz became a polarizing figure after his move from Chelsea. After all, the 24-year-old has played a total of 236 Premier League minutes in an Arsenal shirt so far.
Obviously, it's not just performance: yes, Havertz did poorly against Fulham on Saturday, but he showed promising signs in pre-season, against Palace and in the Community Shield win over Manchester City. .
At this early stage in the campaign, the reaction to Havertz seems to reflect changing demands at Arsenal. The new season has brought new pressure on Mikel Arteta and his players, and now the club's fans are waiting for a serious challenge for the league title. Last year the title was a pleasant surprise. Now that's a requirement.
Kai Havertz's mixed start at Arsenal
An inevitable consequence of heightened expectations is a decrease in patience and, through no fault of his own (except perhaps for his subpar performance against Fulham), it appears that Havertz was the first victim of these changes in attitude. Would the reaction to his performance against Fulham have been as strong 12 months ago? One can only speculate, but it seems unlikely.
There are other factors as well. Havertz cost £65m, making him the third most expensive player in Arsenal history after Declan Rice and Nicolas Pepe. That fee in itself creates pressure, as does the fact that Havertz is not letting Emil Smith Roe, an academy graduate and homegrown hero, into the team.
The fact that Havertz moved from Chelsea didn't help his cause either. Since 2015, Arsenal have signed Petr Cech, David Luiz, Willian and Jorginho from Stamford Bridge, a path that William Gallas has previously followed. Jorginho has been a positive influence since his arrival in January, but the other three have generally fallen short of expectations. Willian especially failed miserably.
Chelsea fans are scoffing that Arsenal keep signing Chelsea refuses, and Havertz has almost certainly found himself in a quandary with at least some parts of the fan base as a result. As a former Chelsea player, he has to do a bit more to win over the fans of his new club.
Havertz has gone off the beaten path way from Chelsea to their London rival Arsenal. Photo: Getty Images/Matthew Ashton
Havertz's style of movement may also play a role. He does not explode on the field, like Gabriel Jesus or Gabriel Martinelli. His tall build is less energetic, which can give the impression that he puts in less effort. However, looks can be deceiving: Havertz has so far covered 11.9 km in 90 minutes in an Arsenal shirt, while Chelsea ran 10.8 km last season.
Whether this is true or not, in depending on your point of view, all of these factors are currently playing against Havertz, who is still adapting to a new role in his new team. His task is not made easier by the fact that he has played in front of a different left-back in each of his three league matches this season. Once Oleksandr Zinchenko and Jesus are back in the starting line-up, life is sure to get easier.
Arteta is convinced that Havertz will succeed, while Arsenal are convinced that he can become a key player for the club throughout his career. next five years. The size of their investment in it is proof of that. Fans are running out of patience, however, and the changing mood at Arsenal is evidenced by the fact that the German is already under pressure to take a significant step forward, starting with Sunday's match against Manchester United.
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